


the wave of time

by eviruu



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: (kind of), Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, Female My Unit | Byleth, M/M, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, Very Liberal Use of Dima by Felix, it's mainly exploring one timeline but others are mentioned offhand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-18 02:17:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21920209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviruu/pseuds/eviruu
Summary: The waves of time stops for no one. Even for the Goddess, there are limits. Though, they can be overcome, bit by bit, fate by fate. To finally reach the promised end."My name is Sothis. I am also known as The Beginning."In which Felix experiences his different fates in different timelines after their failure in the final battle.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Felix Hugo Fraldarius
Comments: 5
Kudos: 47
Collections: 2019 Dimilix Holiday Exchange





	the wave of time

Victory had been so close.

  
  
Felix could barely move, his legs giving out on him each time he tried to stand, leaving him sprawled unceremoniously on the ground.

  
  
There wasn’t a single place on his body that didn’t hurt, pain emanating the most out of that claw-shaped wound on his back that carved out his armor to reach flesh, a searing heat that he tried so desperately to ignore.   


  
His sword lay useless by his side. A weapon was only as good as its owner and it may as well be scrap metal with his prone form.

  
  
He forced his head to move, glancing around the room to gauge the state of the battle.   


  
Sylvain was slumped over his horse, unmoving and unresponsive and lacking any cheer and charm that the cavalier always tried to bring, the fallen horse’s fur slowly being stained a dark crimson.   


  
Ingrid had fallen over her pegasus entirely, her lance rooted firmly into the ground in what was supposedly a last show of strength but she too remained far too still.   


  
Dedue, Annette, Mercedes, Ashe. All lay battered and defeated across the battlefield.   


  
And Dimitri... Just right ahead of him yet painfully still out of reach. Areadbhar was clutched with ghost white knuckles but the man had not succeeded at any attempts at getting back up. With the diminishing sounds of battle in the background, Dimitri’s pants were the loudest sounds to Felix.   


  
A deafening roar brought Felix’s attention back to their enemy. The monster that used to be Edelgard towered over the battlefield and only their professor was left to stand before her.   


  
And before Byleth charged in to fight against Edelgard, she cast one last look towards her beloved students. Her smile curved into the slightest smile that was as fragile as the church’s stained glass paintings, seeming to convey a millennia of suffering. Felix turned away for he could not bear to look as Byleth let out one last battle cry.   


  
Instead, he focused his attention back to Dimitri whose pants had already begun to slow, breaths becoming shallow at an alarming rate. His chest convulsed with both pain and exhaustion.

If only Felix could reach his side. Not that he could do much at this point, with vulneraries all used up and healing spells completely useless with the extent of their damage. But there was a compulsive need to be beside him, though his body would not comply.

As Byleth and Edelgard both readied themselves for the final attack, as darkness started to encroach at the corners of his eyes, Felix forced himself to inch himself closer to Dimitri. Bit by bit. Slowly but surely. He stretches out his hand towards Dimitri’s, attempting to gain whatever traction he can as he all but pushes himself across the bloody hard concrete. A few feet of distance seemed like a whole field away but he continues nonetheless.

He was so close as he calls out to his fallen king, his fallen partner, “Dima…”

At the very end, when Byleth and Edelgard lay collapsed upon the altar, Felix could not reach for Dimitri’s hand.

* * *

The feeling of shallow waves lapping against his feet came to him first before anything else. It was a strange sensation, especially with the lack of pain from all his sustained wounds. Or rather, his lack of wounds when he looked down at his own body. It did not bring him any comfort in the slightest that he had completely healed, instead it felt like a phantom lurking to deliver the reaper’s final blow when he least expected it.

His suspicions were not helped by the room that seemed to go on forever and the single green-haired girl perched atop the tall stone throne. She spoke before Felix could do anything.

“My name is Sothis. I am also known as The Beginning.” The girl’s voice, though high-pitched in the way commonly attributed with youth, seemed to carry some hidden weight to them. “I am here to guide you as your professor pleases.”

Felix did not respond immediately, affixed on their location instead. When he could not find any escape route nor any sign of his allies, he continues the conversation, “What relation do you have to Byleth?”

“Our souls have been bonded as one. I am now complying with her desires from beyond. You are all quite lucky to have her be so fond of all of you.”

He remembered the ritual Rhea held ten years prior, though that did nothing to alleviate his concerns, only intensifying them when he recalled the outcome of that event. 

“Answer my question. What is your goal?” Felix assumes an offensive stance, both poised to attack and ready to run if need be. 

To his surprise, Sothis showed barely any reaction to him, merely offering a bemused smile in return. “As I said, my soul is with Byleth. As such, my goals are the same as hers. With what remains of my powers, I wish to send her students through the time pulses to reach the most positive conclusion.” 

He eyed her suspiciously, taking a cautious step forward as a show of defiance. He had many questions but he went with one right at the top of his head. “How do I know that I can trust you?”

“You do not.” Her response was instant but there was a warmth in her smile that he had not expected. “Trust in your professor.”

Felix’s mind flashed to Byleth’s last fragile smile in their battle. Upon remembering that, Sothis’ affection in her words did not seem so foreign.

“Do what you must,” Felix said, gripping his sword at his side as he readied himself for what’s to come. Anything to let everyone finally be happy. Anything to see Dimitri smile once again when bloodshed have long past.

“Prepare yourself. Your paths will not be an easy one but like your dear professor, I believe in you.” 

As soon as the words leave Sothis, the waves spin up to swallow Felix whole, leaving him to sink into the dark water. He’s left to time to react, left to time to breathe as the waves wash him away, guiding him to the next distant shore.

* * *

He next woke to choking, sputtering out whatever invisible water that had snaked itself into his lungs. He could barely see anything, bright spots dancing in his vision and blurring to form an incomprehensible mess.

A hand firmly gripped onto his shoulders, patting his back in an attempt to placate his coughs. They remain there for uncountable minutes and as soon as Felix regained some semblance, a waterskin is placed into his hands. He takes a greedy sip out of it as his breathing slowed to a steady tempo. IIt all lured him into a sense of security until he heard the voice belonging to the one in front of him. 

“Would you like me to call Dorothea over?” Edelgard’s voice was soft, full of concern, and the last thing Felix had expected. Felix’s instincts kicked in before anything else and he shoved the Edelgard away, waterskin falling to the ground as all the water flowed out to blend together with the rain-soaked mud.

When had it been raining? He was now painfully aware of how his the cloth of his armor stuck tightly to his skin, but that was nothing to the alarm bells ringing in his mind at the sight of Edelgard so near.

Her expression was one of shock and hurt though she quickly hid it under a mask of neutrality, though her voice still held traces of worry. “Do you need to lie down? I knew that the oncoming battle would trigger some painful memories but I did not expect them to be this bad.”

Felix could barely muster any reply but he forced his voice to croak out anyway, “Why are you here?”

“It seems the stress of the war has gotten to you,” Edelgard’s face morphed into one of discomfort and her hand moved to clutch at the handle of her axe like an anxious twitch. She keeps her voice steady as she looked directly at Felix. “We’re approaching Tailtean Plains. It’s time to deliver our decisive strike against the Kingdom and the Church.”

“What?” Felix should have expected that once he saw the Emperor at his side. The “against Dimitri” goes unspoken. 

Edelgard straightened herself and looked towards the rest of the Black Eagles strike force further up ahead, all of them shooting the two concerned glances, mirroring that of Edelgard from when he first awoke. 

“It’s too late to go back, we’re far too close to the Kingdom troops now. You could stay close to Dorothea or Linhardt for or you could remain at the flank to counter possible reinforcements of Church troops.” Her eyes looked distant as she spouted out strategic alternatives but Felix could tell the telltale shake of her lips that she was truly troubled. It was the most vulnerable he had ever seen Edelgard.

“No, put me on the frontlines.” The words left Felix’s mouth before he could even comprehend them and somewhere deep in him, though he did not even know why or how, was a resoluteness in his decision.

“Are you sure?” Edelgard’s voice was still tinged with worry. 

“I am. I need to confront the boar.” Felix paused for a moment, then walked ahead to meet the rest of the troops. “Let’s not waste any more time.”

“...Of course. But do take care out there,” Edelgard hesitated slightly, before moving to match his pace. “For our freedom and future.”

Felix could only nod.

* * *

The battle was much more messier than Felix anticipated even with the chaos created by rain, though with his limited knowledge from suddenly being thrown in came as no surprise.

Still, the shift from fighting with the signature blue of the Kingdom troops to against them was a task on his mind, his brain constantly screaming out ‘wrong, wrong, wrong’ as he continued on.

The screaming only got louder as he encountered Sylvain, his smile taut and lacking of any cheer though he kept his voice upbeat upon seeing Felix. “"Hey, Felix? Remember when we were kids and we made a promise about dying together?"

Felix kept his head down as he spoke, "I remember."

"Well, seems we're about to kill each other." His jovial tone was overshadowed by the looming threat of death and Felix wanted to curse Sylvain for his words deterring his resolution further.

"Sorry, Sylvain. You'll die first."

Felix trudged onwards amidst the screeching sounds of metal meeting metal, not looking back at the cavalier’s bloody body, steeling himself to continue fighting.

The next scene of Dedue alongside Kingdom troops violently transforming into demonic beasts did not help his throbbing heart in the slightest.

He carried forth nonetheless, for indecision on the battlefield meant death, and he did not intend to perish until he met Dimitri for himself.

And the King, stood by himself amidst the stone fortress, looked at him with such hurt and longing that Felix wanted to surrender right there. But he continued and met Dimitri’s eyes with his own steely glare.

“Not only have you become the emperor's lap dog, but you have turned against your own people. From the depths of hell, you will regret tainting the land of Faerghus! You killed Rodrigue... your own father, Felix." 

To a stranger to the current universe like him, Dimitri’s words came as a stab to his heart. But still, Felix did not budge and his words poured out almost naturally. "I said I'd cut down anyone who stood in my way. Even my father. Even my friends."

"I see. That was all I needed to hear to finally work up the resolve to kill you."

Felix’s sword met Dimitri’s lance, the faint orange glow of Areadbhar illuminating the two of them amidst the dreary black clouds and pouring rain. The fight passed quick and Dimitri’s small misstep of a dodge to Felix’s feint meant his demise.

The man falls to the ground, planting the end of his lance into the mud in an attempt to remain standing, an all too disturbing reminder of his position in their fight against Edelgard. 

Felix stared at him, not moving as if he was waiting for Dimitri’s life to finally leave him. Then, Dimitri spoke, a soft voice that’s drowned out by the rain to everyone but him, “If it’s you, Felix… I don’t… mind…” 

His sentence remained unfinished as he stopped moving but that broke Felix out of his reverie. He looked once more at Dimitri’s sunken form, all blood that seeped out of him immediately being washed away by the rain. 

Keeping his eyes on him, Felix spun the blade around on himself and plunged it straight into his chest. Somehow, even then, the pain seemed negligible as his knees buckled, finally giving into his exhaustion from the battle.

His sight never moved from Dimitri as the all too familiar darkness surrounded his vision again and screams of his name seemed far too distant to matter. At that moment, Felix could only manage a small smile. “...See you, Dima.”

* * *

“You fool!” A high-pitched scream greeted him back in that room with waves. “You are as reckless as your professor! Is that all you learnt from her lessons? You did not need to kill yourself!”

Felix didn’t bother to respond to Sothis’ shouts, keeping his gaze transfixed to the lapping black waves as he asked, “What was the point of that?”

She gave a “hmph” in response but her tone shifted to one of sympathy, “My power is not what it once was. Though stronger than what is was during your academy days, I do not possess enough strength to send Byleth back enough times to successfully execute your final battle. Hence, you, as well as the rest of your classmates, are being sent to alternate fates to gather my lost power scattered across those timelines.”

“And that... was an alternate fate?”

Sothis nodded, “Indeed. It was what would have occurred had you chosen to join the Black Eagles. Minus the stunt you pulled at the end.”

Felix gave an exhausted groan, too tired to complain about the absurdity of the current situation. “What do you mean by ‘my classmates’?”

At the very least, the girl is compliant in her explanations. “They are experiencing the same as you, albeit in different timelines. With the exception of your King, however.”

“...What about him?” Felix shifted his gaze at that, glaring at the girl once again.

“His fate, as is the the Emperor’s and the Alliance leader’s, is determined by the actions of our dear professor and the rest of you in his house. It cannot be changed.”

“Then I’ll change it.” Felix ground his words out, giving an air of finality to them. At that, Sothis’ warm smile returned.

“Or guide it to your preferred fate, you mean. Are you prepared to go again?”

Felix unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the throne. “I’m ready to cut right through.”

* * *

Much as he would like to argue against it, Felix’s trips back and forth different timelines and Sothis’ room got steadily better, with him no longer coughing his lungs out from each journey.

He kept a steady heart and balanced grip on his sword, cutting his way through each different scenario to reach the end as fast as he could.

And yet, if seeing each new possibility that could branch out from his actions wasn’t enough, they all ended with Dimitri’s death.

It didn’t matter if Felix dealt the killing blow or it was some unknown soldier. Nor if he died or watched Dimitri writhe under each stabbing pain. No matter the situation, Dimitri’s unmoving body always signalled the end of a timeline and the move to the next. At least, that was the situation for him.

One scenario that would never leave Felix’s mind was a fate where he allied with Claude, leading him back to Gronder Field where separation from the rest of the Golden Deer troops led him to Dimitri’s corpse.

Riddled with Empire arrows with notable slashes from swords and lances alike, he almost looked like one of those Church statues that they erected to celebrate heroes, only without all the glory and fanfare that came with them. Only his grim fate stood before him. It took an ungodly number of weapons to take down the insurmountable boar whose driving force was retribution for the dead.

But, with each trip back to Sothis, he was closer to that fabled desired fate, leading him back to the room with the rest of his classmates and that demonic beast that Edelgard had become.

They were back. And they were going to do it right this time.

With Byleth leading their charge, Felix surrounded Edelgard by her back as Dimitri surged forward, Felix’s attack with his sword temporarily stunning Edelgard. “Boar, now!”

Dimitri gave a grunt as he leaped forward and drove Areadbhar deep into her body and finally, she collapsed. 

It was over. They had won. 

The rest of them stood from afar as Dimitri and Byleth approached Edelgard’s restored body cautiously. They slowly filed out of the room, exchanging furtive glances at each other that spoke much louder than words, though Felix stood by the entrance of the door, waiting for Dimitri and Byleth to go with the rest of them

When Edelgard’s body slumped over for the last time and the sound of the dagger dropping to the ground echoed through the room, Felix finally went out of the battlefield to see the sun high above in the sky, indicating the start to a new dawn.

As they look into the open blue sky, Felix went to stand by Dimitri. “We’ve finally succeeded, boar.”

From the corner of his eyes, he could see Dimitri smile a true smile. “We have indeed.”

“It’s been a long journey.” Felix let out a breath as he leaned against Dimitri’s shoulder, his hand reaching to intertwine itself with Dimitri’s.

At the very end of their fate, he finally could reach for his hand. He gripped it tight as he leaned forward to place a kiss on Dimitri’s cheek. 

“We’re here, Dima.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh this was such a fun thing to write!! I'm a sucker for Dimitri and Felix angst as per usual so I went wild with this! Time travel is also such a favourite trope of mine so I hope you don't mind the very liberal use of Sothis' powers that don't exactly make sense but we'll pretend it does.
> 
> Thank you to cat for such wonderful prompts~!! I ended up combining two but your prompts were all so good that I,, ended up making six different drafts... oops. I went with this one in the end so I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Chat to me on twt @tennplate about FE3H or any other fandoms in general!


End file.
